John Bigham, the Curator of Special Collections at the SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum, was somewhat surprised when his son, Lance Corporal Mills Bigham, told him of his decision to enlist in the Marine Corps.

A graduate from A. C. Flora High School in Columbia, L.Cpl. Bigham knew he did not want to go directly to college but he took a few months to decide on going into the military. He enlisted in September 2004 and finished his basic training in January 2005, after which he was assigned to Camp Lejeune. L.Cpl. Bigham is a squad leader of six to eight Marines in Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines. Since his enlistment, L.Cpl. Bigham has been deployed to Al Anbar Province, Iraq for a tour of duty.

After working in a military history museum for 23 years, John Bigham truly understands the importance of the military and what they do for and contribute to America. While he is sometimes anxious for his son, he is also pleased with his decision to join the Marine Corps. With one family member on staff at the museum, it was natural for the Bigham family to participate in the Write from the Front program. In addition to emails and photographs, L.Cpl. Bigham contributed a journal that he kept at Parris Island during his basic training and some artifacts of service. John Bigham is certainly proud of his son’s service but says that he “also looks forward to the end of his enlistment.”